Forever In Love
by tinkx3bell
Summary: I needed to satisfy my craving for BD so I started this before BD came out. Keys you in on the wedding, exclusive details about the wedding night! and an unexpected surprise for Edward and Bella. Rated M for obvious reasons... Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: A Pleasant Surprise

I was completely exhausted. Alice had been bombarding me with the wedding plans all day, telling me over and over how excited she was and thanking me continuosly for letting her put my wedding together. Needless to say, it was the longest day of my life.

"It's no problem, Alice, really," was my repsonse to all of her comments. By this point I was so tired that I really had no energy to keep listening to her. She knew I didn't want to hear it, but her mind-boggling joy was preventing her mouth from staying shut.

"Oh, Bella! It will be so beautiful! And don't worry, I didn't invite too many people. I promise!"

"So tell me again, Alice, who is coming tomorrow, exactly?

"Well, lets see...Carlisle and Esme and the rest of us, of course, and your parents. Jacob's dad is coming for sure, but I'm not so sure about the wolf boy..."

"It's a no for Jacob, Alice. He, um..."

"I know, Bella. It's ok," she said hurridly. "Anyway, Mike, Jessica, Angela, and Ben are coming, and a few family friends. That's all! Are you ok with that, or do you want me to shoo everyone away when they show up tomorrow?"

"Don't bother, Alice, it's perfectly fine! I trust you!"

"Thanks, Bella," she replied as we both heard her phone buzz. She gave me a quick, mischevious smile as she turned away to take the call. I should have known better than to trust Alice with this. There's too much room for her to go nuts with something this big. I was a little flustered by this thought, and found it a perfect time to quietly slip away from her and head off to bed. I knew she already had known I was going to leave, but I stepped away quietly anyway to ease my own guilt a little.

The evening sun was pouring in through the magnificent windows of the Cullen house as I climbed the stairs to our bedroom. Every inch of white wall in the house was covered in sparkling light, creating a calming glow that pushed my eyelids further over my tired eyes. It was a struggle to make it up the stairs without falling asleep. I barely noticed that I had almost killed myself twice on the way up thanks to my drowsiness. I was keeping my thoughts concentrated on Edward's...our, lovely bed that was waiting for me at the end of the hall.

I jumped when I saw him lying there on the bed. Alice had told me the whole family was out hunting today, so his presence was quite a suprise for my sleepy brain to comprehend. A tiny shriek escaped my lips and through haze of the evening I could see a crooked smile growing over his perfect face.

"Good evening, love," he cooed. He laughed a little at my startled expression.

I was instantly relaxed at the sound of his voice, though, and made my way over to him, falling into his arms as I reached him. His skin was ice-cold, sending my body into a cunvulsion of shivers and waking me ever so slightly from my half-asleep universe. He was my universe now, cradling me close to his body. I felt whole again, as if missing him for an entire day had torn a hole in my intricately stitched-together heart.

"How was your day? Alice must have kept you incredibly busy."

"Yeah..." was all I could manage to say as he leaned over and brushed his lips agaisnt my forehead.

"I've missed you terribly, you know. It's so hard for me to be away from you for even a moment."

"I thought you were supposed to be gone until tomorrow," I said with the best pleading voice I could muster. I knew he liked that.

I was right. I felt his smile return as he turned me toward his face and kissed me again. "I couldn't stay away, my love. Everyone else will return tomorrow. Alice has gone to join them now that I'm back, so we have the whole house to ourselves."

He pulled me toward him in the midst of a passionate kiss with these words. I thought I knew where this was going, but I couldn't fight. It felt so good. He had never been this romantic before. He gently hoisted me up by my waist and sat up so I could straddle his lap, never pulling away from our kiss. Without warning, his icy tongue entered my mouth and began exploring and tasting at will. I let out a little gasp and felt the cold retreat.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked innocently. I could see the fire in his topaz eyes, waiting for me to say something so it could continue to burn.

"No, not-" It returned before I could finish and continued its work. Suddenly he was on the outside, too, licking the outline of my lips with a gentle fury. Willingly, I let him go, enjoying every second of it. With a pleasurefull sigh I let my tongue enter his mouth too, and we were locked together, hopelessly entwined in our own mess of love. Before long, I could feel his large, hard hand on my back, caressing me with such ease and grace that I let out a small moan of pleasure. It seemed to urge him on, so he continued, working his way around my curves and sensitive spots, inside and outside my shirt. I grabbed him tighter, winding my hands in his gorgeous copper hair and grasping his neck for dear life. God, he smelled so good. I never wanted to let go.

Eventually, his hands made it around to the front of my shirt and he paused when his icy fingers reach my breasts, and I shuddered again. We made eye contact for a second, and I let him know with my wild eyes that I was waiting. He understood and began unbuttoning my shirt. I moved my own hands there to help him, but he was in charge now, silently insisting on doing it himself. I didn't resist, and istead arched myself toward him so he could slip off the blouse with ease. I felt my bra loosen not long after that, and he carelessy tossed it aside where it landed on top of my blouse far away on the floor.

I weakend from the site of his enthused eyes and fell backward onto the bed. I watched him closely, following the movements of his eyes as he studied every inch of my naked upper-half.

"Bella..."he sighed.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me how incredibly beautiful you are?"

"I thought you already knew."

His smile was mad. I only had a second to look at it before feeling my eyelids close as a tension suddenly wakened inside of me. I could feel his cold lips on my stomach, slowly working their way upward with his hands guiding the way. He kissed every inch of me that he could reach, and when he found my the curve of my breasts, he went rampid. I could feel him all over my chest as he let his tongue explore their soft surface. I let out a cry as he made his way to my nipple, while keeping his hand going on my other breast. My heart was pounding out of my chest at that point, and I was glad no one was home to hear it. It belonged to Edward only.

He heard it too, and stopped his savage kissing for a moment so he could lay an ear over my heart.  
"I'm going to miss that,"he panted. "I swear I'll go crazy when I can't hear that sound again." I kissed his head for that. How thoughtful he was. I'm so glad I have found him.

He only hesitated for another second before finishing what he had started. My pleasure was beginning to build, and I knew the site of his perfectly-chisled chest would help to send me over the edge, so I reached out to help him pull his shirt off. He saw my hands and beat me to it, pausing so I could run my hands along its immaculate details. My eyes closed again as I felt his hands work their way down my body, stopping at my shorts. I heard a low growl inside his chest as he pulled the fabric down to my ankles. As I lay there, I could feel the cold moving down below the thin band of my panties-hesitant, but full of purpose. He quickly reached my sweet-spot and I let out another moan. He groaned,too, as he began to work. I could feel his tempo increasing rapidly, and with it, my moans and sighs came louder and faster.

"Edward!...Oh...oh god, Edward!...Ohhhhhh!!"

He liked this, I could tell, because shortly after that I felt more cool air around my middle as my panties miraculously disappeared. Part of me wanted to protest-this was going way too far before our wedding night. Suddenly, though, he was inside of me, and I forgot all of my regrets. In and out he went, slowly at first, but then his fingers sailed faster and faster through me while his free hand continued to work on my sweet-spot. I could feel myself begin to sweat as I braced myself to slip over the edge. By this time I was shaking violently and letting out moans more freely than ever. Then I could feel wetness between my legs, and then his tongue was there too quickly. I could sense his excitement as he began to taste me. The pleasure doubled over then.

"Oh, Edward! Uhhh...!"

He felt my urgency to come to, and just pushed harder, faster. I couldn't take it anymore! He groaned, and I let out a long scream.

The orgasm crashed down on me like a tidal wave and washed up through my veins, sending chills and more waves of pleasure behind it. I couldn't feel myself anymore; the pleasure had engulfed me. I awoke from my trance to the sound of panting and saw Edward leaning over me with his mouth wide open and his eyes on fire.

"Did you enjoy that, my Bella?" he asked suductivelly, still out of breath.

"Oh god, Edward! I...I..." I simply couldn't find the words. He understood, I saw, as he lowered himself next to me and pulled my limp, naked self tightly to his chest. He kissed my cheek softly and began to hum my lullably.

"Go to sleep now, my angel. I will meet you again at the alter tomorrow." The soft sound of his voice reminded me of how tired I had been, so without even trying, my lids closed as I fell into a deep sleep to the sweet sound of my lullaby.


	2. Chapter 2: Wedding Day

It was not the sunsise, rather, the gloom of Forks, that woke me up the next morning, but an ever familiar little figure bouncing up and down at the foot of the bed.

I immediately recognized who it was that had come to wake me. "Wake up, sleepy! It's ten o'clock already!"

Oh, god, ten? Now I had even less time to panic before the wedding. It dawned on me then how quickly time had passed since Edward proposed. It seemed like yesterday that he had slipped this ring on my finger and lovingly convinced me with molten eyes and velvet tone to take his hand in marraige. Speaking of Edward...  
The bed was empty and I realized that he was gone. Alice saw my surprise and couldn't help but let out a giggle. "He just went hunting before the wedding, Bella. Don't worry! I guess you didn't satisfy him enough, did you? Did you have fun last night?"

She laughed again, but I was not amused. Completely and utterly embarassed was more like it. I had fogotten that she knew what we had done...what he had done. I managed to muster a sleepy chuckle, and that seemed to satisfy her. She grabbed my hand, with that, and commanded me to take a shower so she could get to work on gussying me up. Again, I reminded her not to go overboard, but I quickly realized how useless my words were once I saw her carrying armloads of girl-friendly products into the bathroom and give me a wink.

By the time noon rolled around, I was basically ready to go. I could feel Alice dousing my head with hairspray and put the finishing touches on her "princess bride" as she liked to call me now. Of course, she wouldn't let me see till she was done, so I sat facing her, saying over and over how she shouldn't have done this, but being Alice, she did anyway.

Finally she turned me around toward the mirror and my gasp came out too soon. I was beautiful.

"You like it?" she asked.

"Alice, I don't know what to say. You're incredible!"

She smiled as I gently ran my hands over my new face. I was never a huge fan of make-up, but Alice's handiwork on my face was gorgeous. And my hair! Piled on my head was a stack of intricately bobby-pinned curls all bunched together and gently weaving their way down my back. I was so distracted by my reflection that I barely noticed Alice placing a tiny silver something on my head. I looked up to find a diamond-studded tiara resting on my head. Now I was a princess.

"It was my grandmother's, apparently, in my human life, you know. I thought you deserved to wear it."

"Oh, Alice, thank you so much!" I exclaimed, completely thrilled as I stood up to hug her.

"Don't mention it, Bella. But hey, we've gotta get you downstairs! It's almost time!"

Waiting for us in the living room were all of the bridesmaids and several other female guests. As I glided down the stairs, heads immediately began to turn and watch me descend like I was some kind of show piece. I saw Renee first and quickened my step to meet her.

"Bella! Is it really you? I can't believe this is my daughter! You look gorgeous, honey!"

"Thanks, mom. You can thank Alice for it. She's a miracle worker!"

"I can't believe my baby is leaving me for some boy!"exclaimed Renee.

"Oh, mom, it's not like I'm leaving you forever," I replied. Sadness washed over me as I thought of what a horrible, horrible lie that was.  
Esme approached me next, arms stretched out, ready for her last hug from Bella Swan.

"Oh, Bella, you're so beautiful," she said as I ran into her arms. "I'm so happy for you two! Edward has been waiting for this for a long time. You are very precious to him, Bella. I'm sure you know that."

I couldn't do anything except cry then, so I let a tear fall and Esme wiped it from my face with a perfect slender finger. No more words. It was time.

The wedding was going to be held in the Cullen's yard, so I followed the bridesmaids to the back door from which they quickly parted, leaving me alone. Before long, though, I saw a figure walk through the door and started crying again. Charlie.

"It's ok, Bells, don't cry, daddy's here," he said, holding me. He was hardly ever that affectionate, which made me cry a little more. I hoped I wasn't ruining Alice's make-up job completely. I started to get nervous at that point as I remembered the reason Charlie was here in the first place: to walk me down the aisle so I could get married. Married...me? Yes, it was finally time. Edward would finally be mine in a few moments. Forever. I embraced my last few seconds as Bella Swan and remained in Charlie's arms even when the music started. Quickly, I retained my composure so Charlie could grab my arm and lead me. We were moving.

The last thing I saw was a woman in the back row glancing behind her and standing up. Having noticed her gesture, everyone else stood up too, and I was suddenly floating in a sea of people in dress clothes that I didn't even know. I had known in the back of my mind all along that Alice do this, so I tried to forget my anger and just kept going.

Everything became a blur after that. Though I couldn't exactly see, I could feel every eye under the pavillion staring down at me. They watched me the whole way down the aisle, of course, and watched me climb some steps to reach the alter. I finally regained focus and looked back to see Charlie hesitantly let go of my hand. Was that a tear? I didn't have time to find out, for a hand had come of our nowhere and spun me around.

Inches from my face was Edward, his face spead over an enormous smile. I melted at the site of him-he was absolutely beautiful. A black tux lay over his white skin, making him more handsome than I had ever seen him. Above his molten topaz eyes was his bronze hair, still as messy as ever, even on his wedding day.  
He stared straight into my eyes for a moment, lost for words. Finally, he spoke.

"My angel, you are so beautiful. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," I whispered. The congregation sat, and so the priest began as Edward grasped my hands.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man, Edward Anthony Cullen, and this woman, Isabella Marie Swan in holy matrimony..."

Of course the priest continued to speak, but I heard no more words. My focus was stuck on Edward's face and his on mine. We were locked in eachother's gaze for what seemed like hours, even when we slipped wedding bands onto eachother's hands, we didn't look away. I think I came back down to Earth when the priest said "You may kiss the bride." Suddenly, I awoke to the all-too-familiar sensation of Edward's lips on mine. He held me tightly in a passionate kiss, even after I let a tear streak down my face, and the congregation stood up and clapped for us. They all gasped, as did I, when Edward picked me up and cradled me in his arms before heading down the aisle. I knew how much he wanted to whisk me away with his vampire speed, but he couldn't in front of so many people, so he just walked, carrying us both at a brisk pace down the aisle away from the crowd.

He set me down on the dance floor on the other side of the yard. Alice had not let me see the final touches put on the reception pavillion, and as I looked around, I was completely shocked. How had she managaed to set up 20 dozen roses, real doves in rod-iron cages, and hundreds of candles all in less than a day? She amazed me, and I loved her for it. The space around me was filled with the gentle glow of candlelight and a sweet floral scent. There is no place I would've rather been than right there with Edward. If only we could've be alone. I knew that I would not have to wait much longer for that,though. He noticed me looking around in awe and guided me into his arms. He planted a kiss on top of my forehead and held me tighter.

"Do you like it, love? It is very beautiful. I think Alice did a splendid job."

"Like it? I love it! Edward, this is the best day of my life. I'm so glad we're together now."

"I am too, Bella. You could never understand what I'm feeling right now. No other person has ever made me feel this way. I love you so much."

Another kiss, this one more passionate. We couldn't continue though, because the guests began to find their way in at that point, and the reception had begun.

It was late before we were able to dance. Of course, I was glad for the prolongment, not looking forward to embarassing myself. I was hoping everyone would forget that we had to dance our first dance in front of them, but of course, they had not. The music started, and I felt Edward's hand in mine, pulling me out of my seat.

"Come, my wife. You must dance with me," said his sweet, velvet voice. I couldn't resist the way he had just called me "wife," so I willingly got up and followed him to the dance floor. Gently, he grasped my waist and together we sailed across the floor so gracefully, I couldn't believe it was actually me dancing. Edward's flawless steps guided me in every direction, spinning and gliding with grace and ease. Just as soon as it started,it seemed, the music stopped, and applause filled the air as we kissed again. I felt so whole with my husband. Oh, Edward.

It was late before guests started to leave. Of course, I had to be polite and stay awake to say good-bye and thank you to all of them, but that soon became unbearable as I kept drifting in and out of sleep. Edward began to notice my profound clumsiness as I became more and more tired.

"Bella, I think we should go upstairs now," he whispered to me with a grin.

What did he say? I had totally forgotten about that.

"What? Oh, Edward. We have to stay here and say goodbye."

Before I knew it we were on the other side of the room near the rest of the Cullens. Carlisle and Esme approached, and Edward explained that I could not hold on any longer and needed to rest. With a look of reassurance, the sent us away, assurring us that they would dismiss the remaining guests themselves.  
I felt my feet leave the ground suddenly as I realized Edward was holding me again. His cool face bent down to kiss me, and just that quickly I wasn't tired anymore. I saw a familiar passion burning in his topaz eyes and I remembered again what we had saved for tonight. He saw the recognition in my eyes and flew into the house, this time with vampire speed. Before I knew it, the bed was below me yet again.


	3. Chapter 3: This One Night

He was more anxious this time. I barely had time to relax myself on the bed before he was on top of me, completely naked. He came as a shock to me. I had never seen anyone so...so beautiful. Immediately my senses were ingnited as he dove in for a kiss, his whole body covering me and my wedding gown.

Edward broke away for a second, panting and staring me straight in the eye with his molten gaze. I melted inside and let out a sigh. He grabbed the sides of my face and kissed me again, lightly pressing his icy tongue into my mouth as he did so.

"Why on Earth are you still dressed, love?" he asked, panting.

"Well, I didn't exactly have time to um-"

"Not another word," he whispered quickly. That was ok, because I didn't have another moment before our mouths were locked again, and his hand searched feverishly for my zipper. I guided his hand toward it and he quickly unzipped it. There went my dress, and all that was left was some lingerie that Alice had picked out for me, saying how much Edward would love it. He was going in to reach for me again, but stopped. I saw his crazed eyes soar over me like they had last night. Suddenly, I was going crazy, too. I couldn't imagine what he was waiting for. I knew he wanted me...now.

"Edward, what is it?" I asked, trying my best to sound impatient.

"You just...you're so incredibly sexy, Bella. It's unbearable."

I smiled at this and he echoed my expression with an even bigger grin. He quickly began kissing me. At first, just my lips, but soon his cold lips were sliding down my neck. He lingered there for a moment before moving to my collar bone, and then slowly came to my breasts. The lingerie teased him, only exposing small round tops for him to play with. His lips didn't seem to care, for they carefully traced both breasts with an insane desire. My breathing and heart beat sped up once I felt my top slipping off. He struggled to remove it, so I helped his hands stetch it over my curves. He growled once it was off, ready to play some more. Again, he leaned in. This time, there was more skin for him to love. I let out soft moans as his lips found my nipples. He lingered there, sucking gently as he could sense me getting hotter by the second.

I could suddenly feel his erection resting on my stomach, which made me want him more than I ever had as long as I'd known him. No more playing around.

"Edward,"I panted, "just take me. Take me right this instant, you monster!"

He removed his lips from my body and looked up with a sly grin. "What was that, my love?" he teased.

"I said take me...NOW!"

"Say it nicely, Bella. Only good girls get what they want."

I was getting pissed now. I was so hot I thought I would just have force him into me myself if he waited any longer. "God, Edward PLEASE take me! Please take me NOW!"

"That's what I wanted to hear," he said passionately. I could tell he was ready, too.

He rolled over so that I was on top of him. He hoisted me up a little so I could get my panties off, which I did quickly. It was only a matter of time, I thought. Surely, because before I new it, I felt a cold sensation thrust its way inside me. I screamed as the cold rubbed against my warm inside. The pain was almost unbearable, but I didnt' care. It still felt sooo good.

I closed my eyes and began slowly rocking on Edward's hips, digging my hands into his chest for support. This was convenient for him; he could easily reach my breasts now, and seemed to enjoy fiddling with them while I rocked and swayed with pleasure. I reached behind my head as I started to rock harder, running my hands through a massive tangle of curls. I heard Edward moaning beneath me, and so I answered back with a louder one. He became harder inside of me, and as his thrusts grew in intensity, I began to shake. I knew I would come to before long.

Suddenly both of our eyes shot open at the same time, and we stared at eachother with a flaming passion. I felt a rupture between my legs and knew that he was close, too. My brain was screaming-it had never felt anything like this before. Colors and sounds and pictures flashed through my mind all at once. I was coming to my high and I had to let out some steam.

"EDWARD!!" I screamed to him. I was fully aware that there might have been other people in the house, but I just didn't care. Here, it was just me and him in this moment- our moment.

"Bella, my Bella," he answered back with a grunt. His thrusts came harder. He was driving me insane.

"EDWARD! TAKE ME,EDWARD!!"

"BELLA! I LOVE YOU!"

"GOD,EDWARD, I LOVE YOU,TOO!!"

"ARRGH!"

"UHHHHHHHH!"

That was it. We both came to at the same time. An explosion of pleasure convulsed through my body and I let a long scream escape my lips. The colors and sounds and pictures swirled through my head even faster and I felt weightless, like Edward was my magic carpet and I was flying on him. Edward heard my cry of ecstasy and let out one of his own. God, he was so hot! We kept rocking steadily until we both came down from our high. After I finally regained conscienceness, I just fell onto his chest, panting hard. I felt his sweet breath pour over my face and my panting reduced to slow, deep breaths. He brought his hands around me and held me tightly, as if he was protecting me from an intruder I couldn't see. I could still feel him inside of me and kept him there, where he belonged.

He picked my chin up from his chest and kissed my lips gently. I lay my head back down. I was speechless.

"Bella, that was incredible," he sighed.

Those were the words I was looking for. "I know,"was all I could manage to say. I suddenly felt like sleeping, wrapped in my Edward's arms. Now we could be husband and wife, together in eachother's arms forever.

He sensed my urge to sleep and began to stroke my hair to relax me, his cold hand brushing my warm head with such a sincere, gentle touch. I sighed again.

"Sleep, love. I'll stay with you. You need your rest."

"Edward," I whispered with a yawn, "I need you." I began to stroke his hair, too. So soft.

"It's ok. I'm right here, my wife. I will never leave you. Ever." His icy hands stopped moving and just rested on my back and my head. I felt more relaxed instantly. I trusted Edward and I knew he would never leave me. He was my husbad, I was his wife.

I couldn't fight in the war against sleep anymore. I surrendered to my body and entered fell into a deep sleep, of course, with Edward's lullaby quietly floating around me.


	4. Chapter 4: News

I had recently made a new best friend: the toilet. For the past week I've been living in the bathroom, using the floor and a bed and the toilet seat for a pillow. It seemed like every second I was sick to my stomach. I was grouchy, too, and Edward had learned to stay clear and just let me suffer alone for fear of being murdered, even though we both knew that was usually impossible. The only person who was ever allowed near me was Alice.

"Bella, you feeling any better?" she asked as she poked her face inside the door.

I threw up again in the toilet just as she came in. "What does it look like?" I asked, annoyed. I was never this mean to Alice, but I think she understood.  
She came in and took a seat on the cold tile floor next to me, resting a soft hand on my shoulder.

"Bella, I think I know what's going on here," she said calmly. "...Um, are you sure you're not-"

"Pregnant?! You think I might be pregnant?! Oh god, Alice, I was afraid of that, but I'm too scared to tell Edward. How could this happen? I thought Carlisle said-"

"He did Bella. It shouldn't be possible, but I brought you a home test kit just in case. I've been worrying about this all week. Would you please just check? I hate seeing you like this."

She looked extremeley worried, so I gave in and took the test from her little hands. She left the room quietly as I just stared at the box. I continued to stare at it for over an hour after that, occassionally taking breaks to get sick again. After awhile, the anxiety started to knaw on me a little too much and with great reluctance, I did the test.

"Wait four minutes for results," I read aloud from the directions once it was over. Great, so I had four minutes to sit here and think of a plan. What if I was pregnant? What was I supposed to do? How would I tell everyone? How would I tell Edward?...

He came bursting through the door at the sound of my scream. So that's how I let him know. Surprise! Alice followed quickly behind him and they both kneeled down to my level, resting their hands on my shaking shoulders.

"Bella, love, what is going on? I think all of the windows should be broken right now!"

I looked up at his face and saw his concerned his expression. Actually, it wasn't so much concerned as frightened, and I could understand why anyone would be frightened by looking at me. I hadn't seen the light of day in a week, my face was perpetually stained green, (according to Alice-I hadn't bothered to check) and now I was shaking from head to toe. At these thoughts, I let out a loud wail and Edward quickly pulled me into his arms. I threw my arms around him and he rocked me gently whispering words of consolance in my ear. I heard the tester hit the floor. Dammit, why did I have to drop it now? I wanted to see it before anyone else. In case I broke into a fit of hysterics, I wanted to be alone.

Alice noticed it had fallen and gingerly picked it up. I saw a hand fly to her mouth and I let out another wave of sobs into Edward's shirt. She let me know what it read just by standing there with that face put on. I looked up at Edward again and saw an extremely puzzled expression through my tears. Alice saw his face too and began to inch her way over to him with the tester clutched in her hand.

"Alice, what's wrong? Would you please tell me what is wrong with my Bella?"

"Edward, nothing is wrong, per se," she said nervously. "I'm not sure how to say this but Bella is...is-"

"PREGNANT!" I shouted at nothing. "I'm pregnant, Edward!"

I felt his grip on me loosen at those last three words. I buried my face into his chest again, not wanting to see the new expression on his face. I wished I had strength to get up and run, but my never-ceasing urge to puke kept me from moving. I didn't have to. I felt myself moving suddenly as Edward pulled my face from his chest so he could stare me straight in the eye. I wasn't sure what to make of his expression. He was staring at me, but he seemed to be somewhere else, pondering something intensely. Looking at him made me I nervous and started sobbing again, bracing myself for him to hate me, or to leave me right then out of anger. Oh, god, why this? Why now? I've only been married for a month!

I was more than surprised to see a smile break out on his hard face. He was laughing! The tears kept coming, but somehow, I was laughing, too. So we sat there in a fit of laughter and tears for a minute before anyone spoke again. It was him.

"Bella, I can't believe this is happening! You're having a baby! Our baby is in here," he said, patting my stomach. He let go of me and bent down to kiss it and I let out a sigh of relief. All of my fears were gone now. He kissed me and let me hold him again, and I gladly fell back into his grip.

"Darling, I'm so happy! I never thought this could happen. It can't be possible to be this happy," he whispered.

"Oh, Edward, I thought you would be so angry!"

He was confused again, and he pulled me away so he could look at me again. I saw his eyebrows twitching in confusion and let out a laugh. "Angry?" he laughed back. "Never. Not with you, my love. I'm overjoyed! We must tell the others!"

Tell the others? I suddenly had the urge to throw up again and ripped out of Edward's arms so I could reach the toilet in time. I felt his cold presence linger over me as I lay ther, and I felt a little better. A kiss found it's way to my cheek, and I raised my head to meet another one. Somehow telling everyone didn't seem so scary now-not with the knowledge that Edward would be with me.

It seemed we had both forgotten that Alice was still with us, so when we heard a loud squeal we quickly turned around to find her skaking with excitement. She bent down and gave us both a kiss on the cheek before continuing her fit of happiness.

"Oh, Bella, this is so exciting! I have to go get the others! Come on down stairs! Do you think you can make it?"

"I think so, Alice," I said. "Let me just-"

"No, let me," Edward said. At once I was in the air, floating in his arms. He reached down to grab the little garbage can, just in case, and we followed Alice down the stairs as we heard the names of our family echoing loudly throughout the house.


	5. Chapter 5: Normal

Though we all knew how unecessary it was, Alice just couldn't keep her excitement to herself and kept loudly calling everyone to the living room. She didn't stop until she was sure the family had moved every inch of themselves into the spacious room. Edward had gingerly placed me on the couch with the trash can on the floor near my head. I looked up at my future family then for signs of understanding, but the only one who fed me back any kind of reaction was Rosalie. Everyone else was just gaping. I wish I hadn't looked up.

A twinge of guilt filled me as I stared at Rosalie's pained expression, and I had to get sick in front of everyone. I looked up again, this time to find faces filled with pity staring back at me. All except one, that is. I noticed a different kind of expression on Carlisle's face. Grief, yes, but it had been accompanied by panic as well. Both him and Edward seemed to understand eachother's confusion at that point: Edward gave Carlisle a nod and his father turned away. I was sure that Carlisle had already realized what was happening, leaving the others clueless for another moment. He turned away in shock to ponder this realization so as not to ruin the moment for everyone else.

Edward had taken a place near my head on the floor, resting his lips against my hand, silently signaling to me that it was time to talk. I felt the panic rising inside of me again, and he had obviously felt it, too. I felt my head resting in the soft net of his hand now, and he turned my eyes toward his. One look into his deep amber gaze told me that it was going to be alright. Willingly, I believed him, and I was comforted by this.

"Edward," Esme interjected as we continued to stare at eachother. He turned at the sound of his name and I mimicked him. Edward and Bella were practically the same name now. "We would all like to know what is going on please, dear. Bella looks dreadful."

"Bella is quite sick, Esme, but despite that, the situation we have here is quite the opposite of dreadful."

I began to calm down at the sound of his voice. I couldn't believe the amount of confidence that existed in his tone. You could compare the situation to talking about a sports game, I guess-he was that relaxed. The fact that he wasn't going to be ashamed of this or try to hide anything gave me some reassurance, and I was ready to come out with the truth. How had I been afraid? These were the people I loved. Surely, there was nothing to worry about. He had already assured me of that.

"Esme, everyone," Edward continued. I could here pride building in his voice as he anticipated his next sentence. "Bella here is-"

"Pregnant," I finished confidently. "Edward and I are going to have a baby."

There. I said it. It was over. We heard a few gasps shorty after, and a grunt, which I knew had come from Carlisle as he discovered that his assumptions were right. Edward leaned backwards to kiss me. A short kiss, but I knew what he was trying to say. I had been brave, for once. I could have just as easily made him spill it for me, or made up a lie to try and hide this all together. Glad that was over.

"I'm proud of you, love," he quietly whispered to me. I felt his hand carressing my face then, and I put my own around his, following it around the curves of my face. We had forgotten about the family again, too absorbed in ourselves, but we came back to reality as soon as Alice remembered to let out a shriek. It seemed like she had been putting forth a tremendous effort to hold it back before we told everyone, so the loud noise startled everyone in the room back to reality. Was that a window cracking somewhere?...

"Oh, Bella, Edward! I'm so happy for you," exclaimed a sweet voice. Esme glided toward us with open arms. The news had overwhelmed her, and she seemed to forget her strength against my weak human figure as she crushed us together with a hug. It wasn't until I began to stuggle with breathing that she let go, quickly apologizing with a much softer kiss on my forehead.

Smiles had spread over the faces of the others, too. Jasper and Emmett seemed to be excited about being uncles already, slapping a high-five that would have easily shattered a normal person's hand. Of course, Alice was excited still, running over to us for another kiss and a million choruses of "congratulations." The only person who had not caught up with the all-smiles trend was Rosalie, who was standing perfectly still in her place and wearing an extremely sour expression. I wasn't sure about Carlisle, who had his back turned to us still with near-silent mumbling rapidly leaving his lips. Edward and I seemed to be the only ones who had noticed amidst all the excitement, and I saw Edward getting up, to see Carlisle, I was sure.

"This can't be happening!" Carlisle had beat him to the punch. Edward sat back down with a thud and a defeated expression. The room had grown utterly silent at his words, and everyone turned a confused facade toward Carlisle, eagerly waiting for an explanation.

"Not possible!" he continued. "This has never happened in all of history, yet here we stand in the midst of a young woman carrying the child of a vampire! A human! A human impregnated by a vampire! Nonsense!" A long pause lingered before Calisle finished. "Edward, my office. Now"

Edward stood and followed the whisp of Carlisle that had quickly ascended the stairs. My panic returned, and once again, it proved to be too much for my system. After I lifted my head from the trash can, I felt the stares of five vampires piercing me. I sat up slowly, guided by two short arms that had found their way around the couch to help me. I reached behind me only to find Alice's face there, wearing a depressing frown like the others were. She released her grip around me and hopped over the couch, assuming the position of baby-guard as she rested her head against my stomach. I stroked her hair, trying to erase the sadness that had so suddenly overwhelmed her along with the rest of us. We all knew what it meant when Carlisle became tense. Extremely unusual. Nothing good followed, usually...

"Don't worry, Bella. I'm sure you would be a lot sicker if anything was wrong. You're going to have a beautiful, healthy baby," Alice assured me quietly. Emse nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Alice," I whispered as a tear trickeled down my cheek. Now that I knew for sure that I was pregnant, my motherly instincts began to kick in, and the thought of anything happening to my baby threw me into a pit of grief.

It seemed like hours before Edward and Carlisle came back downstairs. I must have fallen asleep, because I felt a shake on my arm as Alice and Esme were gently trying to bring me back to conscienceness. Had it really been so long that I had to sleep? I craned my neck to see out the windows over the couch. Darkness was settling over the woods around the Cullen house. It had been that long. Panic again. It was almost instinctive to lean over the trash can now.

I looked up to find Edward's face inches from mine, smiling my favorite crooked smile. Smiling? Wasn't this supposed to be bad? Apparently not anymore. I was relieved instantly, and I could feel everyone else's relief, too, without even looking.

Edward assumed his place next to me on the couch as Alice got up for him. He mouthed something to me, but I couldn't decifer it. I assumed it had been something good, with all of the smiling he'd been doing. He looked at me again and nodded toward Carlisle, who was standing at the foot of the stairs, waiting for our attention. I quickly gave it to him, meanwhile moving my hands back to my stomach automatically, trying to protect the baby from the news we were about to get.

"Bella," Carlisle began, addressing me personally even though this seemed to be a family issue now, "from what I have gathered from Edward about his and your...experience, I have an incredibly good feeling about the situation. Your baby is going to be perfect, Bella."

I couldn't help but smile at this. Instant relief! I would have jumped in the air of course, but Edward held me down as I shifted forward, obviously feeling my joy as well, but cautious. I probably couldn't have gotten up anyway. Well, this was good news of course, but I was still curious...

"How, Carlisle?" I questioned. "How did this happen? I'm so happy, but are you still sure that this will be alright? You were so sure that Edward couldn't-, that we couldn't-"

Everyone else became rather uncomfortable at this point and left the room quietly, leaving Carlisle, Edward and I to discuss the matter alone. Good, so we didn't have to talk about Edward getting me pregnant in front of everyone after all. Relief again.

"I was, Bella. Was. After I talked with Edward, though, it seems that this was quite a human experience for both of you. Being human Bella, you are naturally able to concieve a child, but of course, Edward should not have been able to help. I'm speculating that because he shared himself with a human, that parts of his human self temporarily resurfaced, which could have very well have caused the pregnancy.

What? I was lost. Edward sensed this and took over for Carlisle, taking extra care to dumb things down for me. He turned and faced me with a serious but relaxed stare.

"What he's trying to say, love, is that while we, um...you know, I was so overwhelmed by the new human emotions that some of my human functions began to work again, and feelings began to come back, allowing you to become pregnant with our perfectly human child."

"Exactly," Carlisle stated. "Bella, you're going to have a completely normal pregnancy. If you don't mind, though, I'd like to have you and Edward come upstairs with me so we can sort over a few things. Do you feel well enough, Bella?"

I didn't answer him. A baby, I kept thinking. A perfectly wonderful, beautiful human baby was growing inside of me this instant. I was speechless. Words could not describe the sense of joy that had overcome me just then. Edward seemed to understand, and again, he lifted me into his arms, making sure to kiss my stomach as he did so. we followed Carlisle up the stairs, and I was surprised at the human-like pace Edward used to climb after him. He carried his perfectly human wife and his unborn human child with such tenderness, it was almost like there was already an extra somebody there.


	6. Chapter 6: Arrival

"How about Alexandra?" I suggested.

"Are you sure, love? Doesn't Katherine sound much more beautiful?"

"No, Edward, I like Alexandra best."

"Bella, we're not sure it's going to be a girl. How about Patrick for a boy?"

"Well, we're not exactly sure if it's going to be a boy either," I spit back at him. I couldn't believe we waited this long to name the baby, but here we were, with only three weeks to go. I hadn't realized that picking a name would be so difficult, and starting silly little fights with Edward over it was not helping, either. Of course, he didn't really mind. We both knew too well that the hormones had really starting to getting to me lately.

I decided that this was a good time for us both to take a break.

"Edward, can you please be a dear and get me a snickers bar and a gatorade?"

He was all too used to my random requests by now, so before I could even finish my next thought, he was at the fridge digging around for my snickers and gatorade. I had been craving these two things more and more lately, so last time I took a grocery shopping trip with Alice, she made sure to stock me up.

He gave me a quick smile as he set them down on the table next to my mound of baby books, courtesy of Alice again. A kiss followed that, and then he was motioning for me to get up. I did, confused, but he just sat down in my chair and patted his lap, waiting for me. I sat down with him, and he wrapped his arms around me, resting them on my giant middle and caressing his future child.

"Which name do you like better?" he asked my stomach, "Alexandra or Patrick?"

We waited for a second and no response. Of course, he answered the question for baby.

"Yes, I agree. Patrick sounds like a lovely name. So Patrick you are."

"Fine," I told him. "If it's a boy, we can name him Patrick, since you seemed to love that name so much." I reached behind my head and found his face, stroking it gently in a pathetic attempt to make him see things my way. He closed his eyes and thought about something for a minute before opening them again and kissing my hands.

"I see," he said, "so if it's a girl, of course we can name her Alexandra, if that's what you want, sweetheart."

"Yeah, that sounds fair, considering," I replied with a giggle. The book I had open in front of me suddenly closed. I wasn't really sure if I was done looking, so I opened it back up to the first page. I was faced with hundreds of "A" names, and I scanned the page again until I stopped at one name that was suddenly more beautiful than Alexandra had been all morning.

"No, Edward, I think we'll name her Abigail...Abigail Cullen. How does that sound?"

"Like an angel's name," he said sweetly. "It's perfect, Bella. Abigail it is."

Again, we had to take a break for another kiss, but we were interrupted suddenly by the front door slamming and a whoosh of air as Alice raced into the kitchen.

"Oh my god, Bella," she exclaimed as she abruptly stopped in front of us. "I thought I was too late! We have to get you to the hospital now! I saw that you were-"

And there it went. I felt my water break as I was getting up to see Alice. Immediately after that I felt a surge of pain in my lower abdomen. I let out a cry, and Edward was at my side instantly.

"And here come the contractions!" Alice said. "Edward, get her in the car. We're leaving now!"

Before I could rearrange the thoughts spinning through my head, I was in the car and on my way to the hospital. The doctor said three weeks from now! Not today! I wasn't ready for this! I hope Charlie could figure out where I was easily enough. Another shock of pain, this one stronger. Edward stepped on the gas.

I was in the hospital bed all too quickly, and I was glad in a way despite the fact that I was petrified of the hospital. The contractions had become almost unbearable by then. Nurses rushed in and out, I noticed between yelps of pain. Edward was at my side the whole time, trying his best to soothe me. It felt like nothing could help me at that point.

I was wrong. Pushing past the nurses that were coming in was someone all too familiar that I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to see. Jacob! Oh, god, what was he doing here? I haven't seen him in months! Did he even know I was pregnant? How was I going to tell him?...

"Bella! What the hell!? Why didn't you tell me about...about...are you ok?"

He was exasperated, and bewilderment spread all over his face. I wasn't sure if it was because I was in pain, or the fact that I had managed to keep this a secret from him all this time. Either way, I was just really glad my best friend had found me.

"Jake!" I said through heavy breaths. It was getting more difficult to talk. "What are you doing here? How did you know..."

"Charlie called. I guess he figured I'd want to be here. He was really surprised that I didn't know. Why did you keep this from me, Bells?"

"Oh, Jacob. I just couldn't tell you! I thought you would be so hurt. I didn't want to cause you more pain than I already have. I'm so sorry." Anguish and sadness briefly overtook me as I explained this to him. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort forth into thinking it over. He only looked up when I let out my biggest yelp of the day. This was all happening too fast.

"Jacob," Edward suddenly cut in, "it's good to see you, but you've got to leave! Bella's having a baby!"

"Right," he said as if suddenly remembering what I was doing here. "Good luck, Bells!"

"Thanks, Jake," I managed to laugh back at him as he turned to leave. He was my Jacob today. Good, that would make this all a little less painful.

The doctor was standing in front of me now. It's time, I knew instantly. How do you do this anyway? I was extremely nervous at that point. I could almost feel the baby struggling to get out. I had to do this. No backing out now.

"Ok, Mrs. cullen," he said to me. (I still smiled every time someone called me that). "Are you ready? This baby isn't going to wait any longer." He let a little laugh escape at the end of his joke. This was no laughing matter for me. Edward didn't find it funny either. He hated to see me in pain.

"Let's just get this over with, please!" I panted with desperation. The pain kept surging.

"Ok, when I say push, I want you to hold that push until I count to ten. Can you do that for me?"

I just nodded. Edward placed his hands on my shoulders, steadying himself and me for the most beautiful moment of our lives. I was too wrapped up in Edward to realize the doctor had already started counting, so I scrunched up and pushed as hard as I could once I regained focus.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"It's ok, Bella," said Edward. "You're doing great! Keep going!"

"...8, 9, 10. Relax."

"HOLY SHIT!" I yelled. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, and I wasn't finished either. I noticed then that I was completely drenched in sweat, and I felt like I had a horrible fever. Yet there was Edward, still holding on with me. He looked disoriented, like he suddenly didn't know what was going on. I'm not sure if he understood that having a baby involved this much pain.

"Ok, again," said the doctor. "Push! 1, 2, 3..."

This pattern didn't stop for what seemed like hours. Push, rest. Push, rest. Push harder. Rest. I felt like giving up until I finally heard the doctor say "There's the head! Almost there!"

I came back to reality again. My baby was coming for me! After all this time, here it was. A burst of strength shot through me at those words, and I pushed harder than I had all afternoon. I let out another loud grunt of pain, and then nothing. The pressure was gone, and I instantly fell backward onto the bed, exhausted.

Then, out of nowhere, a little cry pierced the air, followed by a more pronounced one that wasn't planning on stopping. What a sweet sound. That was my baby crying. I let a huge smile overtake my tired face. My baby was here. I suddenly felt Edward's hands leave me for the first time all day. I was sure he couldn't wait to see his baby. Sure enough, he was back in a few minutes with a tiny bundle in his arms.

I couldn't quite put a name to the look I saw on his face. It was a jumbled combination of awe, confusion, pride, and overwhelming happiness. Needless to say, it was beautiful. A few minutes later, he remembered I was waiting for my baby and he slowly walked to me with the small bundle, fast asleep in his arms.

"Say hello to mommy, Abigail," he said softly to the baby.

"Oh, Edward! It's a girl!" I exclaimed rather weakly as he lowered our baby girl into my arms. I was surprised to see that she was still sleeping. So much noise around us...it would have woken up any other person, but she was so calm.

A tear streaked down my face as I pulled back the blanket to look at her. Pretty little brown locks covered the top of her tiny head, the same color as mine, and her face, it was the same as Edward's, undeniably. Her beauty was unreal. I couldn't imagine anything else so perfect...until she opened her eyes. I looked down and saw two green gems curiously staring back looking me. I started really crying then.

"Edward,look" I whimpered through the tears.

He came over immediately from the door where he was letting the family in. As he leaned over me, he gasped. Without a word, he lifted Abigail back into his arms and pulled her close to his face. If he could cry, he would've right there. I have never seen him so overwhelmed.

"Carlisle," he said as the vampire leader came closer with a curious expression. "She has my eyes."

Carlisle was dumbfounded, more so than he had been when he found out I was pregnant, it looked like. With that, Edward lifted the baby into his arms and called the rest of the family in. All of the Cullens were there, and Jacob was not far behind, followed by Charlie.

"Charlie!" I cried. If I could have sat up, I would have. He came over to me for a hug, but I couldn't muster more than a pat on the shoulder for him.

"Bella, I'm so happy for you," he told me. It must have been hard sucking up the courage to say that. He was not happy for me when I told him I was pregnant. There was no need to think about that now, though. I was too happy.

"Thanks, Charlie," I replied. "Esme, Carlisle, bring Abigail over to Charlie. I'm sure she wants to meet her new grandpa."

This made Charlie smile. "What do you know, Bells? I'm a grandpa!"

They came quickly, stretching the baby out to Charlie's open arms. He was amazed by her beauty I could tell, just like everyone else had been.

"She's something else, Bella. Such a pretty thing. But those eyes, whose are they?"

"They're Edward's, dad." He looked confused, but didn't ask. Thank god, because I wouldn't have been able to make up a story fast enough. Such beauty didn't need an explanation.

Jacob came over after that, leaning over Charlie's shoulder and reaching his hand over to touch Abigail. He seemed quite amazed, too, like he'd never been this close to a baby before. He probably hadn't.

Edward came back to me after that. He was extatic, and leaned in toward my face frantically searching for my lips. He tangled his hands in my knotted hair as he kissed me passionately.

"I'm so happy, Bella. She's absolutely beautiful."

"I know, Edward, I can't believe it. We're parents! What do you think of that?"

"I've been waiting for this all my life, love. I don't know what to think, exactly."

We both laughed at that, and then I noticed Abigail making her way through the mass of people back to me. It felt so right to have her in my arms. My daughter, my beautiful angel, Abigail.

The Cullens began to make their way over to the bed so they could crowd around the three of us. Of course, Alice was there first, ready to take Abigail straight away from me. I was a little hesitant, not wanting to lose her again so soon. She understood, but as she backed away, I saw another set of arms stretching toward us. Rosalie.

"May I?" asked Rosalie. I nodded, amazed, and she took Abigail from my arms without hesitation. Immediately, I could see a change in her face. She had suddenly become so soft looking, so kind and content. She almost looked like, a...mother.

"So," she began. "What is her name?" Her tone was slightly softer than it had been, but Edward and I both sensed the edge that still remained there. Obviously, she was still mad about something that had to do with me. I just didn't have room in my thoughts to try and figure out exactly what it might be, so I let it go. I smiled at Edward then, wordlessly giving him the honor of telling everyone our baby's name. He kissed me quickly and turned back to Rosalie with an extremely proud expression, like speaking the name of his child was a privilage. In a sense, it was.

"Her name is Abigail," he said with a sheepish grin. "Abigail Cullen. The most beautiful little Abigail I could have ever imagined." Another kiss for me.

Rosalie smiled at the name as she continued to hold my daughter. She began to rock her back to sleep when a thought crossed her mind, we could see. She stopped rocking, and Abigail stirred a bit, like she could tell we were talking about her.

"What about a middle name? Doesn't she have one, Edward?"

Of course I noticed she had left me out on of that comment on purpose, further expressing her resentment toward me at the moment. I noticed nothing wrong until I glanced over at Edward's puzzled face. Before I had time to wonder about it more, though, he looked at me and chuckled.

"Bella, sweetheart, it seems we have forgotten about a middle name. We don't have one for poor little Abigail." More laughing. Carlisle and the family joined in too, contributing quiet chuckles of their own. I laughed along, all the while wondering how I could have been so stupid as to forget. The laughter died, and everyone's gaze fell on me, waiting.

I swung my head around the room, looking everyone in the face and feeling a little angry for being put on the spot like this. I turned to Edward again, but he gave no response except for that crooked smile I loved so much. That must have been his cue for me to decide by myself. I felt a little better about it now that I knew he didn't mind at all what the name would be, so I turned back to my family. I searched around them for something that could make a name come to my mind. Nothing. I took another quick look at all of them -so happy for Edward and I...

"Rose," I suddenly said out loud without really meaning to. Well, that was it. I guess I was just thinking about it more than I should. That wasn't supposed to come out. "Abigail Rose Cullen," I finished reluctantly. What a pretty name it was, though.

"Abigail Rose Cullen," Edward repeated after me. A glow lit up his face then; one that I had seen often when we were alone together. He was obviously overjoyed with her name. Did he see any meaning behind it like I did? "It's a beautiful name, Bella." He kissed me again, making sure to also plant one on his now fully-named daughter's forehead as well. I let out a quick sigh, and I noticed that we were both looking at Rosalie now.

All smiles, I saw, except for one, which I was waiting for, yet somehow it managed to surprise me. I looked up at Rosalie to find that her empty glare had turned into complete shock. I sighed again, slightly let down that all of my attempts to be kind to her had officially failed. In the next second, however, a brilliant glow began to radiate from her face as I saw her quickly mumble something under her breath. I was about to call her back to attention, but she quickly resurfaced on her own and ran towards me with open arms.

"Oh, Bella," she exclaimed. A smile broke out across her face, and her eyes gleamed as if they were made from real gold. When was the last time I had seen her this happy, or for that matter, speak to me at all? Before she found out I was pregnant, I think. I wasn't sure what her reaction would be, but I'm glad it was this. I'd take a happy Rosalie any day. It was stunning to see how much more beautiful she was when she smiled.

"Thank you so much! I had no idea you even...that you would think...thank you Bella! I'm so sorry I ever thought anything bad about you! I was so selfish." She pulled back then so that she could look at me more closely, and her face continued to glow before mine as she looked deep into my eyes. Suddenly I felt differently about Rosalie, and through my exhaustion I managed to reach toward her and place a hand on her cheek. She smiled again and grabbed my hand, holding on to the new friendship she had just found with a beautiful grace. I was amazed at how much things between us had changed in just a few moments. Edward was too, I could see. He leaned over and found my ear, whispering "Bella, that was incredible of you."

"Bella," Rosalie said, "just do me one favor, will you?"

She surprised me with these words. She had never asked me for anything, but things were different now.

"Anything, Rosalie."

"Just promise me that I can help take care of her. You know, when you and Edward are...busy?"

We all laughed at that one. I felt Edward's arms around me again. His cold hands slid through my hair, letting some heat loose that had gathered there over the past few hours. Rosalie handed Abigail back to me and I gladly took her in my arms. A few minutes without her was just too long.

I felt at ease again, finally, with my Edward next to me and our daughter in my arms. I felt like life couldn't possibly have any greater purpose than the one I was living right now. I looked up at my family again, all lost in happy conversations, Rosalie included, and couldn't help but think how I would soon be with them. Edward seemed to have understood the meaning behind my thoughtful gaze and snuggled his face near mine.

"Don't worry, love," he whispered, "we'll wait for you. Not much longer now." He bent over my face to kiss me gently. I loved Edward so much, I just couldn't deny him another chance to hold his daughter as he held his arms out toward us. Carefully, I sat up and placed her gingerly into his arms, and that same glow of utter happiness returned to his face along with that crooked grin he knew I loved. I watched him there, rocking Abigail so gently, I wondered why he had been afraid of hurting her before. He was perfect. We were perfect: all three of us together, finally. Forever.


End file.
